The Royal Family and the Poor - Part 1 (1978-1982)

The original nucleus of the band was formed by Mike Keane and Arthur McDonald (10 years older than Keane). The two started experimenting with music in their Toxteth flat around 1978, with Keane providing noises (by dismantling a radio receiver and wiring it up to an analog synthesizer and connecting them both to an old stereo gram, to be then manipulated by moving magnets around the receiver in the radio) produced by a synthesizer plugged into a record player) and McDonald taking care of vocals and lyrics (mostly inspired by Situationism, in like the early Scritti Politti).
In Keane’s own words, is was “an Aural-Pychic-audio experimentation in transpersonal forms of communication between ourselves and the listener”, whatever that means.
In 1979 the yet nameless band was invited by Factory Records in Manchester to record for the label, on Tony Wilson’s suggestion. The producer, intrigued by the weirdness of their music, is also responsible for the band’s name, taken from a book about the Sex Pistols (The Inside Story, by Fred and Judy Vermorel). The line-up was completed by Nathan McGough on bass (ex O’Boogie Brothers, with Ian Broudie and Ambrose Reynolds, son of Roger McGough of the late 60’s band Scaffold, and later manager of the Happy Mondays), and Phil Hurst on drums (ex Mystery Girls, Nightmares in Wax) and, with Keane taking care of guitars, synths and some vocals, recorded material to appear on one of the four sides of the Factory Quartet, intended as a sequel to the much celebrated Factory Sample of 1978, and produced by Martin Hannett.
The Royal Family contributed three proper tracks – Vaneigem Mix, Death Factory (featuring Ambrose Reynolds on guitar) and Rackets – as well as three short dirges, all of which recorded as live. None of these track had much connection with rock and roll, but possibly provide the prototype for what is the closest thing to Liverpudlian avant garde music: freeform and wild sounding impros, minimal guitar riffs repeated over monotonous bass-lines overlaid with Situationist oratory.
That’s how the band was presented in the sleeve notes: “The Royal Family. A remarkable S.I. influenced outfit from Liverpool who, with sing along numbers like "Vanneigem Mix," rose such comments as; 'They show The Gang of Four to be the bubble gum band we always thought they were.' - R. Boone.” The Royal Family’s memebrs were indicated as Levi Windsor, Nathan Windsor, Phil Windsor and Mike Windsor.

A Factory Quartet (Side Four)
1 Dirge 1
2 Vaneigem Mix
3 Dirge 2
4 Death Factory
5 Dirge 3
6 Rackets

The following year Phil Hurst left the band (to join Holly Johnson’s Hollycaust) and was replaced by Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio, who also co-produced the Royal Family’s first single. Art on 45 is Situationist P-funk is certainly cleaner and more danceable but not dissimilar in structure to the tracks appeared on the Factory Quartet. Mike Keane recorded two solo acoustic tracks for the flipside, Dream and Dominion. Recorded in August 1981, this fairly schizophrenic ep (with Johnson producing the a-side, and New Order’s Peter Hook both b-sides) was finally released in February 1982.

Art on 45 (12”)
A1. Art on 45
B1. Dream
B2. Dominion

In the same year Keane recorded a lengthy meditative piece (Midnight Symphony) to be included on a Zoo Records compilation, although finally the label considered the end result too weird, and never saw the light on day (apparently it was re-recorded for a RFATP 2004 release). Nathan McGough left to join Pale Fountains. The band, thus reduced to its original core, performed a few gigs using backing tapes before Keane and McDonald went their separate ways.

Early recordings (1980-1982)

(see also: http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info/fact24.html
http://home.wxs.nl/~frankbri/royalhis.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/michaelkeane/wizzt.html )